Capitalizes on surface change for the Grade 3, win under Belmont winning Junior Alvarado. (Chelsea Durand)
By Brian Bohl
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. –Mrs. Fitri Hay’s Saturday Flirt used a strong outside move to overtake 2-1 favorite Cloe in the stretch and power home a 3 3/4-length winner in Sunday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Soaring Softly for sophomore fillies on Closing Day of the five-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course.
Originally slated for 5 1/2 furlongs on the Mellon turf course, the 11th edition of the Soaring Softly was kept at the same distance but moved to the main track, listed as fast.
Trained by Wesley Ward, Saturday Flirt finished powerfully under Junior Alvarado, in the aftermath of his Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets victory aboard Sovereignty less than 24 hours prior, who again held a trophy in the winner’s circle. His most recent acclaim came thanks to a patient trip with Saturday Flirt, who stayed off Yougottahavehope’s early fractions of 22.36 seconds for the opening quarter-mile before Cloe took temporary command with the half in 45.65.
Alvarado kept Saturday Flirt comfortable in fourth in the pared down six-horse field, and his charge had plenty in reserve for the final furlong to surge from the outside and draw away in completing the course in 1:04 flat.
Cloe, who was graded stakes placed by finishing third in the Grade 3 Senorita in April at Santa Anita Park for trainer Jose Francisco D’Angelo, finished three lengths clear of stablemate Spirited Boss for second. New York-bred Yougottahavehope ran fourth with Hey Bertie and Fortuna Mia completing the order of finish. Love Cervere, Brindi, Make Haste, Abientot and Rojo Rita scratched.
Saturday Flirt, off at 4-1, returned $10.60 on a $2 win wager and improved her career earnings to $210,020. She has won three of her first four starts and was successful in her first foray on the main track for Ward, who bred the filly out of the Broken Vow mare, Dragic.
“There’s always a worry. You never know until you do it,” Ward said of the surface switch. “I decided she breezed so well at Keeneland on the dirt, that being her home track, a lot of my turf horses breeze good on the dirt. So, this was a little bit of an unknown, but I think the track’s got some moisture in it and that’s the reason why she got over it so well.
“I still have the dam,” Ward added. “I partnered with Goncalo Torrealba of Three Chimneys on a couple of Gun Runners, so that’s going to make him happy.”
The Alvarado-Ward tandem won a dirt sprint earlier on the card when Diblasi won a $100,000 maiden contest at 5 1/2 furlongs in Race 3.
“I’ve been lucky with Junior,” Ward said. “He’s not one of the guys that I usually go to. Mike Sellitto, his agent, is such a nice guy and he’s great friends with my friend Cliff Collier, another agent, so from time to time we put him on and every time he seems to ride for me he wins. He’s my lucky guy.”
Alvarado also had high praise after riding Saturday Flirt for the first time.
“I had a beautiful trip. She broke good, sat off the pace a little bit,” he said. “They were dueling on the lead a little bit. I was sitting in a perfect spot in there. When I starting picking it up, she was moving forward really nicely. I put her in the clear and she took off for home and did it very nicely.
“She handled the dirt beautifully today,” Alvarado continued. “The dirt was a question mark for me today. I didn’t know if she was going to be able to handle it or not. I think she answered that question pretty clearly today.”
Live racing at the Belmont at the Big A spring/summer meet now moves back downstate to Aqueduct Racetrack, beginning with an eight-race card on Thursday, June 12. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.
